


11.20.16

by grapeflavoredorange



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Coffee Dad Sakura Sojiro, Gen, Light Angst, November 20 Interrogation (Persona 5), Post-November 20 Interrogation (Persona 5), Rated T for Violence, akira gets the shit beat out of him, i love her though, sae is honestly kind of a bitch, typical 11/20 stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-20
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:55:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27639214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grapeflavoredorange/pseuds/grapeflavoredorange
Summary: "I'll place my bet on you."my obligatory 11/20 anniversary fic
Relationships: Kurusu Akira & Niijima Sae, Kurusu Akira & Sakura Sojiro
Comments: 1
Kudos: 49





	11.20.16

“Guess the drug was too strong.”

  
_What? What dr-_

  
“Wake him up!” 

The sensation of freezing cold water being splashed over his head was the last thing Akira wanted to wake up to.

What greeted him when he opened his eyes was a group of surly-looking detectives standing around the metal table in front of him, one of them dropping a bucket on the floor, and the biggest one, who was standing in the middle, holding a clipboard. Akira tried to get up, but was stopped by the cold, hard handcuffs around his wrists. _Oh, right._ The metal dug into his wrists as he struggled against it, making the detectives in front of him laugh. “You still don’t get it, do ya?”

  
“Give it up!”

  
He suddenly kicked Akira in the chest, sending him crashing into the wall and falling to the floor.

Akira groaned in pain as he tried to sit up, but the detective stopped him, grabbing him by the hair and stepping on his back. “Come on, cooperate!” he sneered, moving his foot to Akira’s head, causing him to screw his face up in pain. “Or what, do you want another shot?” The detective then kicked him in the stomach again, and Akira felt hot, angry tears forming in his eyes as the detectives continued staring down at him coldly, some of them smirking. Akira thought it was over when he felt the handcuffs being unlocked and removed, especially after the detectives let him sit up and rub his bruised wrists. However, he could not have been more wrong. Suddenly, Akira felt a white-hot pain travel up his arm as one of the detectives grabbed his arm and forced the sleeve of his blazer up and then produced a large vial filled with neon-orange liquid that hurt to look at. “This’ll make you talk,” he growled. Akira fought and struggled, but when the other officers grabbed him by the shoulders and held him still, he knew he had lost.

“Can you still hear us, you little shit?” the tallest detective asked, grabbing Akira by the hair again and pulling his head upwards to face him. Akira could only cough in response, which warranted another kick in the stomach from the detective. “Doesn’t matter,” he sneered, gesturing towards the one holding the clipboard, who handed it to him. “I’m sure you can figure this out on your own.” He knelt down and pushed the clipboard towards Akira, who could barely read the writing on it, both from the dim lighting of the room and his blurred vision (they had taken his glasses and cell phone for evidence). “Sign here,” the detective said. “It’s a confession under your name.”

Half of Akira wanted to just sign it and wait for Sae to come in, but the other half, his “rebellious will”, wanted to spit in the detective’s face and push the clipboard away. He went for the latter, relishing in the furious look on his face as he reached for a pen in his pocket. “I see,” he said quietly, standing up. “I need your hand to sign this, but…” 

  
He then slammed his foot down onto Akira’s thigh, causing him to half-scream in pain. 

  
“I don’t care if you end up losing a leg.”

Akira’s vision was getting worse. He could barely make out the detective’s face as he pushed the clipboard towards him, and Akira could only hope that he signed his name where he was supposed to. “Don’t expect to walk out of here in one piece,” the detective sneered as he snatched the clipboard and pen back, then standing up and heading towards the door. “You’ll learn your lesson sooner or later.” With that, the detectives disappeared out the door, leaving Akira bleeding and in pain on the floor.

After what seemed like hours, Sae finally entered the room. Akira had taken the time to pick the chair back up and sit down, laying his head on the table, trying to remember the plan. Tell her everything without saying names, make sure she takes the phone, don’t get shot. That’s the plan. He slowly raised his head as he heard the door close and Sae walk in, barely hearing the guard telling her that she “has limited time”. That was fine. He’d be fine. Everything would be fine.

\---

Everything was not fine.

Akira had finally gotten caught up to where he was now in the story, and Sae looked both annoyed and disappointed. “That’s where your story ends?” she asked.   
Akira just glared at her.  
She scoffed. “What a disappointing end to the hero of justice.”

“I still can’t believe it, but I now have a general idea of the methods you used for your crimes.” Sae sighed and fidgeted with her watch. “There’s much more I’d like to ask, but my allotted time is nearly up.” Akira felt his heart start pounding. _No, wait,_ _It can’t be, I still haven’t told her about the phone-_  
“Care to strike a deal, though?”  
Startled, Akira looked up to see Sae leaning in closer across the table at him. 

_> A deal..?_   
**_> What do you want?_ **   
_>....._

“I have a responsibility to solve this case. I _will_ win, even if it means brokering a deal with _you_.” She spat out the last word like doing it would be insulting to her, something to be ashamed of. She sighed again and pulled out a piece of paper from the large binder she had been carrying. “Your operation was leaked, and you failed to change my heart. There’s no point in being stubborn now.” 

“You’ve corrupted the order of this country and caused an uprising against its very existence. You’ll most likely be given life imprisonment or the death penalty…” Akira’s stomach dropped. “Unless you accept my proposal.” 

  
“Going forward, I’m going to read a list of people who are closest to you and this case.”

  
Akira said nothing.

“Tell me honestly whether or not they were involved with the Phantom Thieves.”

“First, your best friend- the one who you’ve been with since the day you transferred to Shujin-- Ryuji Sakamoto.”  
“No.”  
“One of the victims of the Kamoshida case-- Ann Takamaki.”  
“No.”  
“Ichiryusai Madarame’s pupil-- Yusuke Kitagawa.”  
“No.”  
“The daughter of Wakaba Isshiki-- Futaba Sakura.”  
“No.”  
“The heiress to the Okumura Foods legacy and daughter of its CEO-- Haru Okumura.”  
“No.”  
“And… the frequently-probing student council president of Shujin Academy-- Makoto Niijima.”  
Akira said nothing.

There was a pause. Sae looked annoyed. “Those are your accomplices in the Phantom Thieves case, correct?” Akira shook his head. Another pause, then Sae folded up the paper and put it back into the binder. “So you won’t sell out your friends. Fine. I’ll change the question.” 

“I find it hard to believe that high schoolers could have pulled off these crimes by themselves. Were there not others outside your direct group who encouraged your crimes or lent their aid?”

All of the people Akira had met over the past six months flashed before his eyes- Mishima, Miss Kawakami, Hifumi, Shinya, Chihaya, Ohya, Yoshida, Takemi, and Iwai- _she must be talking about them_. He looked up at Sae, who was staring at him with an impatient look on her face.

**_> There were no such people._ **   
_> I’ll tell you everything._

She looked livid. “Do you even understand the position that you’re in?!” she snapped. Akira flinched. Sae must have noticed, because she sighed and leaned back in her chair. “Fine. Let’s discuss one other person-- Goro Akechi.” _Bastard_. “Might he be a part of your team too?”

**_> Nope._ **   
_> Not Akechi._   
_> That’s impossible._

Sae let out a long, tired sigh. “So be it. You clearly have no intention of bargaining with me.” Akira nodded. “That’s right,” he said, his voice scratchy from how long he had been talking. Sae glared at him. “Even now, you’re still acting like some valiant hero of justice?! Your teammates have sacrificed you in order to escape, and even still, you wish to defend their honor?!” Akira nodded again. He really didn’t want to talk anymore, but Sae had forgotten about her time limit, and he needed to show her the phone. Sae slammed her hands down on the table and stood up. “Why won’t you talk about them?!”

_> It goes against justice._   
_> It’s wrong._   
**_> It’s a dirty tactic._ **

Akira didn’t think Sae could have looked more angry, but he was wrong. “Don’t be ridiculous!” she shouted. “You’re the one being accused of foul crimes!” 

There was a pause. Sae slammed her hands on the table again.

“Then tell me! What is this “justice” you speak of?!”

_> Sticking to the right path._   
_> Saving others._   
**_> Not forgiving criminals._ **

Sae sat back down and folded her arms. “That’s OUR job!” she yelled, then sighed. “You continue to stand firm. Are you implying that we have no evidence on you?” Akira nodded. Sae’s glare deepened. “You’re right! We have nothing! And it doesn’t help that your story sounds like a fairy tale! But many people have fallen victim to this, and we need the truth! I don’t even know what’s right or wrong anymore, and it’s all because of your ridiculous story!” 

_> You still doubt me?_   
_> Are you leaving it here?_   
**_> What about the true culprit?_ **

Sae let out a confused gasp. “After all of this, you’re STILL-”  
 _The drug is starting to wear off…_  
“The effects of that truth serum are gonna start wearing off soon.”  
 _Oh, so that’s what that orange stuff was._  
“Can you hear me? I won’t be deceived by such a poor act.”  
 _“I won’t be deceived… I feel like... I’m forgetting something important…”_

**_> Do you know this place?_ **   
_> Is this what you planned?_   
_> Why did you come here?_

Sae looked confused. “...Do you mean this interrogation room?” she asked. Akira nodded. “Why wouldn’t I know about it? What an odd thing to ask.” She paused. “There’s something that’s been bothering me for quite a while now. Recently I was removed from my post as head of this investigation and was told to remain on standby. A short while later, I received word you were caught in the act… within some bizarre phenomenon.” She looked at him curiously. “You were told that someone sold you out, right?”

  
Akira nodded.

  
“If that’s true, do you have any idea who it could have been? Do you have any idea?”

_> I’m starting to remember._   
**_> I might._ **   
_> I want to make a deal with you._

Sae’s eyes widened. “What is it?! If you know something, please tell me!” Akira glanced over at his phone, which was right where Sae placed it on the table at the beginning of the interrogation. “My phone,” he murmured, pointing at it. She looked more confused than ever. “What about it? Are you going to make this easy for me and unlock it?” she asked, sliding it towards him. Akira shook his head, making Sae pull it back towards her. “Really? Then what do you want me to do with this?”

_> Show it to the traitor._   
**_> Show it to the true culprit._ **

Sae slammed her hands down on the table a third time and stared Akira in the eyes. “I need you to be clear with me! Who am I supposed to show this to?!”

**_> I already told you._ **   
_> Not a teammate._

She gasped, then sat down. Akira felt his heart starting to pound again. Was she finally starting to understand…? “You’re referring to him, aren’t you?” 

_> I think so…_   
_> Just show it…_   
**_> You need to trust me…_ **

Sae let out a very long, exhausted sigh. “What are you plotting? I can’t even begin to imagine it…” There was a long pause which was only broken by the sound of someone pounding on the door. Sae’s time was up. She sighed. “Fine. I’ll place my bet on you.” Finally, she pulled the phone towards her, looking at Akira as she began to stand up. He heard her mutter to herself as she left, but it didn’t matter. It was over, and now all he needed to do was get shot in the forehead in order to finally claim his victory.

  
\---

  
The plan had worked, Sae had taken the phone, and she was now helping Akira walk out of the police station and into her car, but his body felt like it was on fire, and he had no idea what time it was or how much time had passed since he had entered the interrogation room. Sae had asked Akira if he was okay, but he was too delirious to answer, and instead laid down in the backseat, his head spinning. “Don’t fall asleep until we get back to Leblanc,” she said sharply. Akira just groaned in response. He felt like he would never be able to talk again. 

It was snowing when Sae finally pulled up to the cafe. Sojiro was waiting for them outside, and Akira felt a wave of relief wash over him when Sae helped him out of the car and into the cafe. “What’s happened to him?!” Sojiro asked as Akira leaned into his chest, obviously unable to support himself. Sae shook her head and handed him a small bag. “There’s no time,” she said. “Just keep him safe.” 

Sojiro was incredibly confused. The kid looked like he had gone through hell and back, the news was saying that he was dead, yet here he was, hanging onto his life by a string and shivering violently, like he had just climbed out of a frozen lake. “What the hell did they do to you?” Sojiro breathed as he put down his cigarette and gently stroked Akira’s hair. The kid didn’t answer, letting out choked sobs instead. That was fine. He didn’t really expect a response, anyways. Carefully, he carried Akira upstairs to the attic and to his bed, where his cat was waiting for him. “I’m gonna go get you some first aid, okay?” Sojiro said, trying to sound reassuring. Akira just nodded and let out a very shaky sigh as the cat curled up next to him.   
  


After Sojiro left, Akira finally let himself breathe. The feeling of Morgana’s fur against his fingers was comforting, but the attic was cold, and he couldn’t stop shivering. He felt relieved when he saw Sojiro coming up the stairs carrying a large first aid kit and a folded-up blanket. Sojiro didn’t say anything as he gently patched up Akira’s wounds, although he was desperate to know just how the poor kid had gotten himself like that. It must have been some Phantom Thieves thing that Sojiro didn’t know about, and he made a mental note to ask Futaba about it later (she was probably the brains behind the whole thing). 

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay at my place?” he asked as he picked up the first aid kit and walked back to the stairs. Akira just nodded. Sojiro sighed deeply. “Well, call me if you need anything.” He started to leave, but Akira had one more thing he wanted to do.

  
“Sojiro… wait…”

The man stopped and looked up at Akira, who had sat up slightly to look at him. His voice was scratchy and hoarse, as if he had been smoking cigarettes every day for the past ten years. However, Sojiro didn’t care. Whatever Akira wanted, he’d listen. “What is it?”

“Thank you.” 

**Author's Note:**

> hello! thank you for reading! 
> 
> i know i've already written an 11/20 fic, but i wanted this one to focus more on the interrogation itself and not the aftermath, although there is some light post-11/20 angst in there because i just couldn't NOT put it in.... sorry. anyways, i tried to make this one a little different from my normal writing, and i really hope you like it! if you did, PLEASE leave a comment/kudos! it means a lot knowing that people enjoy my work!
> 
> thanks again for reading!!!!


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